To not want a NYE fireworks display outside my front door?

[flowerytaleofNewYork]

ARRRGGHH!!

Am fuming. DH took the dog out for a walk this morning and happening to notice a poster up advertising a big fireworks display to take place on our street on New Year's Eve, and inviting the whole town.

He went on the Community Association website and discovered that it was accurate, and there is a plan for a big event on our road and everyone is invited to bring their NYE parties along for the fireworks.

For background, we live on one of the mainish roads in our small town/large village. The road is about 3/4 residential, with 5 or 6 commercial properties as well, a chemist, hairdresser, etc. It's next to the river, hence the choice. However there is a big field elsewhere in the village that can be and is usually used for this type of event.

Because our house is right opposite the river, the event will be literally outside our door, with hundreds of people, mostly drunk probably, and extremely loud fireworks. We have two small children and a puppy.

At no point have residents been consulted about this at all, and we only found out about it by accident this morning, otherwise we would have been non the wiser.

AIBU to be absolutely fuming?

DH has rung the Community Association this morning and been completely and unapologetically fobbed off.

[MidniteScribbler]

I'm jealous. Our fireworks have been cancelled due to high fire danger and the risk of burning down the national park. I understand why, but I do so love me a bit of NYE sky bling.

[Kytti]

Aren't you a misery-guts? We had this every year in our last house, our neighbours put on a display to rival Central London, we thought it was great! Children slept through, or woke up and watched them with us.

[Glittertwins]

I would be taking full advantage of an amazing view point in the warmth and comfort of my house. Our DCs would either sleep through or get up and watch if they woke up as they adore fireworks - they are 4. We also have 2 cats who just sod off to their baskets so we wouldn't be that bothered.

[exoticfruits]

You will get a very good view and stay in the warm! You have got prior warning and so could go away or get someone else to have the puppy.
You could check that it has all been done properly with insurance, risk assessment, permission for road closure etc.

[flowerytaleofNewYork]

Thanks for comments all.

If anyone is interested in an update, DH has spoken to the town council this morning. They were not aware and have had no involvement at all, and in fact the response of the man DH spoke to about it was "Good Lord!"

Have also spoken to our immediate neighbour who knew there was a fireworks display but had not realised it would be here, and is now not happy and supportive of us.

After DH's conversation with the obstructive unhelpful person at the Community Association yesterday, mysteriously overnight our notification arrived through our letterbox..

Apparently the actual fireworks will set up on the riverbank opposite, which is slightly better news. The plan is that everyone will be outside our house watching. The less good news is they are planning to play music from 11.30.

Man at town council said the Community Association will not have been given permission to close the road, which is a concern given the number of people involved and the fact that they won't fit on the pavement. Obviously it won't be busy traffic at that time, but it is a main arterial route through the town so won't be traffic free. Apparently getting permission to close the road is very difficult, and "we couldn't get it for a [minor] royal visit earlier in the year".

Anyway, DH is emailing Community Association man, expressing disappointment that no one on the Association thought it might be sensible to involve residents who may be affected, asking for a copy of their risk assessment, details about road closure, public liability insurance, public entertainment licence, whether drinking will be allowed, policing etc, so we'll see what we get back!

[flowerytaleofNewYork]

Sorry, neighbour is not happy and is supportive!

[Fakebook]

. Well I hope you're proud of yourself now. Pair of busy bodies. .

[flowerytaleofNewYork]

[flowerytaleofNewYork]

Actually I take back my last post. I genuinely don't understand your last comment but I should know better than to engage with someone who can't be pleasant so I'll leave it there.

[Acky123]

Sounds like it won't go ahead anyway as they don't have permission to close the road.

They would need permission from the council's safety at public events group or similar - re public liability, safety for the fireworks, road closures, crowd control etc. It's also illegal to set off fireworks in the street, but don't know if they will need permission to do it from the riverbank.

You're certainly not busybodies. These rules are there for a reason and it looks like the community association aren't capable of properly organising a safe event.

[MrsMuddyPuddles]

Surely the right solution would be to swap homes with MidniteScribbler for a couple days and leave them to it

[valiumredhead]

Oh well, sounds like you have got what you want.

[bamboobutton]

I'd say that's a good result and not miserygutish at all. MN can be strange on stuff like this

annoying and scaring old people at halloween = bad.

annoying and scaring lots of people/dogs/children with music and fireworks= great, tickettyboo, not a problem!!!!!!!

[flowerytaleofNewYork]

Well I haven't really got anything at the moment, valium.

A bit more information I suppose, which I wanted, having been completely in the dark previously.

Fireworks are a little further away than implied, which is good so I'm a bit happier there. Road not being closed is not good, for safety reasons, so I'm still concerned about that.

But other than that nothing concrete which I'm hoping we'll get from the Community Association in terms of their risk assessment etc, then we'll see where we are.

[TheSkiingGardener]

I think that's a great result. Regardless of whether its a good community event or not, it needs to be done properly if its going to be done at all.

Hope you get some good answers from the Community Association.

[squeakytoy]

"Road not being closed is not good, for safety reasons, so I'm still concerned about that."

Unless you are thinking of wandering around out there, it really wont affect you, and effectively you are doing your best to spoil what a lot of other people may well have been looking forwards to.

I imagine you to be the sort who has a weekly letter in the local paper complaining about something or other..

[flowerytaleofNewYork]

Imagine away squeaky. Anyone who has met me will find that impression hilarious, but knock yourself out.

I do find the attitude that because it won't be me run over by a car I ought not to be bothered about whether anyone else is slightly bizarre though.

[deleted203]

Do you know, I find the attitude of "people are planning HUGE fireworks and loud music outside your house one night and you ought to be massively grateful" incredible! Am by the posters sneering that you are spoiling other people's fun. If the organisers were that keen why didn't they plan it outside their OWN homes? Or on waste ground away from a residential area? Oh...because it wasn't convenient...

Yes, there may well be reasons why such a place wasn't suitable, but I don't think anyone can insist that on organising an event like this and then DEMAND that the people who live right beside it should be happy/grateful/thinking of the joy it will bring to others. If you don't want this type of thing outside your home because your wee ones or your dog will be disrupted then you have every right to feel pissed off without being attacked for it. Why the fuck should you be called a busybody or a spoiltsport for not wanting this?? I wouldn't want it either.

[LadyBeagleBaublesandBells]

It would have been one night, yes One Night.
On Hogmanay.
Probably 1/2 an hour of fireworks for the bells, then everybody would have wandered off.
But yes, good on you OP, you've stopped it. And you'll all get a nice early night.
Are you the Fun Police or something?

[ChippingInAWinterWonderland]

I agree with the people saying you are being a spoil sport. Less and less community activites happen because people don't want it happening 'near their house' and want a gazillion bit of paper to say it's OK...

I'm glad I grew up in the 70's when street parties, street bonfires and neighbourhood New Year celebrations were a good thing. When common sense governed events - not a ton of red paper.

I wouldn't keep kids up for New Year (fireworks or not), especially not at 3 & 5, but I'd love it if they woke up and wanted to watch

However, if the logistics are as bad as the picture you have painted - literally being no where to stand other than a narrow pavement, then on that basis YANBU - but for noise/music/fireworks/fun outside your house YABU,

[flowerytaleofNewYork]

What makes you think I've stopped it LadyBeagle?

[TheMysteryCat]

I don't think you are being a spoil sport. Firework displays are dangerous and the organisers have done nothing about safety.

They can do two things now: file a temporary event notice with the police and local authority who may also want to see an event safety plan. That is used for events for under 500 people. You won't have a right to complain, as it's down to police decision.

If they apply for a premises licence for an event for over 500 people, then they have to do all of the above and notify residents via notices in the paper and around the proposed site.

They have a problem for this though, as they haven't allowed enough time and residents can complain under licensing regs.

There may be other considerations on a river including wildlife, which they don't seem to have considered either.

It really pisses me off when people don't plan properly as it's unsafe and people attending have no protection

[BookFairy]

YANBU. Surely they can just move it to a field? Fireworks being set off close to houses, members of the public congregating on a through road, loud music drowning out the noise of any approaching cars...

[flowerytaleofNewYork]

D'you know I hadn't even thought about the wildlife MysteryCat. we have a family of swans, herons, ducks and other water birds, plus obviously fish and presumably small mammals as well.

Maybe they'll have considered that in their risk assessment. .

[TheMysteryCat]

And... Do they have permission from the river managers (poss environment agency), or land owners?